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Slate reviews Eran Ben-Jospeh's new book, ReThinking a Lot. Ben-Joseph, a professor of landscape architecture and planning at MIT, tries to determine whether the humble parking lot can become a site of great urban design:

[T]here is a difference between mitigating noxious effects and creating good places. That’s the big game Ben-Joseph is after: “Designed with conscious intent, parking lots could actually become significant public spaces, contributing as much to their communities as great boulevards, parks, or plazas.” And, in theory, just as any open space can be converted into a parking lot, however temporarily (as for county fairs), a parking lot can be converted, however temporarily, into a public space.